The jobs nightmare facing a deprived part of the North continues to deepen . . . with no end to the agony facing its tight-knit communities in sight.

West Cumbria has been dealt another massive blow with the news that 250 jobs are set to go at steel maker Corus's Workington plant.

Railway track production at the giant Moss Bay site will end by the middle of next year, when production switches to Scunthorpe.

The news, revealed last week, piles on the agony for communities that have relied for generations on manufacturing industries.

In recent times, Whitehaven chemical plant Huntsman announced its closure with the loss of 140 jobs and 50 jobs were axed when textile firm Sekers revealed its shutdown.

The biggest blow has yet to come. Up to 17,000 jobs could be lost over the next 13 years as the Sellafield nuclear plant winds down.

It is expected to shed up to 8000 jobs in the next decade, with thousands of others lost as a result of the knock-on effect on a local economy that is already struggling.

But its not just the loss of nuclear jobs that is causing concern. The loss of manufacturing work also has grim consequences . . . it's feared that the future of the whole of Moss Bay is in jeopardy.

Union leaders at the Corus Workington plant are already warning that, for every job lost on site, four more will go elsewhere.

The loss of railway track manufacturing is also a massive blow to the port of Workington, which relies heavily on Corus shipments.

Angry union leaders have described the Corus announcement as a "disaster".

A special task force has been set up - with Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt's input - to help the area cope with the Sellafield job losses.

Now Workington MP Tony Cunningham is setting up another to try and reduce the impact of the Corus decision, and aims to find an alternative use for the massive Moss Bay site and its 250-strong workforce.

He said its workers felt "anger and betrayal," and added: "They are the most loyal of employees and have made that plant a world-class plant."

One Corus worker in his 30s - who has been at the plant for a decade - spoke of his fears. He said: "The days of decent wages for the working man in West Cumbria have gone.

"So many industries are now shedding labour. Sellafield is going to lose a massive amount of manpower and what comes in to replace those jobs? Rubbish work on rubbish wages."

Corus said: "After investigating a number of options, including investment to produce longer rail at Workington, it was concluded that the Scunthorpe development represented the solution that would maximise business potential in this sector."

Steel and iron making in Workington dates back more than 240 years. At its height, steel rails from the town were being exported to almost every country in the world.